Mitt Romney or Rick Santorum: Who Is The Bigger Right-Winger?

March 23, 2012

In terms of his political views, Mitt Romney has heard it all: flip-flopper, moderate, secret liberal, pseudo-conservative, Etch-A-Sketch; the list goes on and on. Republican voters have had a rather excessively hard time throwing their support behind a guy who influenced Obamacare and was pro-choice at one point in the past millennium.

There is only one group of people that is completely convinced that Romney — not Rick Santorum — is the true conservative candidate. But this group isn’t even voting for him.

Yes, the Obama camp is gearing up for the general election by wildly painting Mitt as more conservative on the issues than Rick; a feat deemed impossible after hearing anything on this list.

It is an electoral remainder of the political spectrum come November and the Obama camp is pointing to five specific topics where Romney goes above and beyond on the Reagan Richter scale: women’s health, labor unions, immigration, protecting homeowners and appointing judges. Let’s dive into the respective candidates’ positions on this slew of issues so you, the Runnin’ Scared reader, can decide: who is the bigger right-winger?

Women’s Health

Santorum: Regardless of whether an abortion endangers a mother’s life or not, abortion is ruled out and contraceptives, as we all know, are a “license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be.”

Romney: No one is sure what the candidate has to say about abortion, since it is Friday and, by Monday, it could be different. He has also stayed away from the politically divisive issue of contraceptives but has pledged to eliminate Title X (which Santorum voted for as Senator) as President. Title X is a federal family planning started by President Richard Nixon and provides funds for poor women. Not in Romney’s book.

Labor (Republicans’ ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card)

Santorum: Deemed pro-labor by his rivals for voting against a national right-to-work bill, which would let workers choose whether or not they had to pay union dues. In conservative lexicon, this amounts to “cozying up to the labor bosses.”

Romney: As a Bain Capital veteran, Mitt does not see eye to eye with, as he calls them, “labor stooges.” Therefore, he would not let them pass virtually anything if he were President, including card-check legislation and right-to-work bills.

Immigration

Santorum: Even as the son of Italian immigrants, Rick feels no pain: he is not in favor of any sort of DREAM act, which would give in-state tuition to illegal immigrants’ children. Take amnesty and a Guest Worker program off the list, too.

Romney: Not the son of immigrants, the Mormon candidate would seek to establish a temporary worker program for 11 million illegal immigrants. Hopefully, none of these 11 million illegal immigrants enter Arizona, where the tough immigration law there has Romney’s support, or try to send their kids to college (Romney: anti-DREAM).

Homeowner Protection

Santorum: In a move that is not exactly “free enterprise,” the ex-Senator believes that the government should intervene, as minimally as possible, on the behalf of the people who are suffering from foreclosure. Conservatives, get angry!

Romney: The vulture capitalist has spoken — the housing market must “hit bottom” before the federal government helps anyone. His position is justifiable if you take a look at his houses.

Appointing Judges

Santorum: To remind anyone who was thinking of questioning him, Rick has declared, “There will no be no one stronger on judges than I am.” I guess Sotomayor gained his approval: in 1998, on her way to the U.S. Circuit Court, Santorum
voted for the eventual Obama appointee.

Romney: Criticized for appointing “liberal” judges in Massachusetts, Mitt knows he cannot make that mistake again. And he won’t — especially with nominees as “troubling” as Sotomayor.

So there you have it — five issues, ten different views, and two wild and crazy guys who will never settle their differences.